Hindsight
by SapphireDragon92
Summary: Lily Evans: an insecure, self-oriented and very lonely seventeen year old girl whose life gets turned upside down when the shocking discovery of a mysterious red book gives her the one thing she's yearned for since first starting Hogwarts... James Potter.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Is anyone really stupid enough to believe, even for a split second, that this story was written by J.K. Rowling? _Seriously? _Well, then you all are stupider than I thought. No, really. I'm just your regular nerdy teenager, not the freakishly amazing billionaire-that's-richer-than-the-Queen to whom we're all so eternally grateful. Duh! **

**Hi everyone! This is just a little experiment of mine... something I worked on when I lost the vibe for my main story, "The Core of Power: Soul Connection". As those of you who have read that story will know, I got the vibe for it back recently and updated. That's still my main fanfiction priority; this is just an aside. Just a warning, it may not be updated regularly or anything. But I thought someone might like to read it anyway, so I decided to post it so it didn't just loiter pointlessly around in my Microsoft Word files, devoid of any purpose. **

**And for those of you who have no idea what that little rant about some story you've never heard of - those of you who stumbled across this story under the James/Lily pairing and think I'm an idiot for wasting space with this bold print and just want to get on with the story, go ahead. Be m guest. Read on, my happy little... uh, readers. **

**_Prologue_**

Lily Evans paced out the front of the secret entrance to the Room of Requirement; back and forth three times, all the while focusing on what kind of a Room she wanted. Quite unusually, she had nothing to do. It was only the beginning of the year, so she didn't want to study too much just yet. It would do her no good if her brain exploded before the year was half-over, would it? All her homework was done, all her Head duties taken care of, and she was bored out of her brain.

A nondescript brown door popped into existence; Lily stepped forward and opened it quickly after checking once again that no-one was around. The Room she entered wasn't quite what she had been expecting. She'd asked for something interesting to do, and had anticipated some sort of device that would fulfill that desire, like, say, a wizarding stereo. She'd even expected a Muggle TV and VCR; it would have been nice to watch a video again, like Grease. She liked that movie.

Instead, she found herself facing disappointment. The Room before her contained an armchair, a fireplace and a small, round coffee table. The room was very small, and the only sign of anything time-consuming were the seven books stacked upon the coffee table.

_Great, _she thought. _The magical world seems to be rather behind-the-times, doesn't it? I ask for something to do, and they provide me with _books. _Books! And I bet they aren't even _good _books! Haven't wizards ever heard of fiction? _She used to like reading as a child. Reading was brilliant; it could take you to so many different worlds, catapulting you into lives more interesting than your own. But reading in the magical world wasn't nearly as appealing. When Lily had scoped out the Hogwarts Library as a first-year, she had first been quite excited at the library's sheer size, and her appetite for a good book to devour was swiftly whetted. But she had been sorely disappointed, for there wasn't a fiction novel in sight. All the books focused on spells ranging in complexity and deciphering the meaning of magic and even the so-called "abnormal" Muggle world and all the ways they got by without magic. None of these things interested Lily. She had never liked science, the study of what _is. _She much preferred looking at what _could be. _

Nevertheless, Lily was so bored that she at least wanted to see why exactly the Room had deemed these books as something that may interest her. So she walked over to the stack of books, picked up the first one, and settled onto the armchair.

_Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone _was emblazoned across the book's thin cover. The name of the author – "J.K. Rowling" – was written below it, in smaller writing. The picture was of a boy standing beside the Hogwarts Express, and the boy, despite being only a juvenile drawing, looked so much like James Potter that Lily's heart skipped a beat.

James Potter was quite the character; a roguish prankster, he was full of charm, quick wit, and borderline foolish bravery… not to mention arrogance. He'd also doggedly stalked Lily for the past four years, asking her out every time she wasn't screaming at him and sometimes even when she was. She'd been one of the main targets of his ridiculous pranks for a long, long time and it never failed to irritate her to no end.

The fact that Lily had had a nagging crush on him since before he'd started this stupid behavior only fuelled Lily's anger. She hated the fact that she couldn't help her attraction to him even while he was being downright cruel to her and others through his notorious pranks. She was angry at herself for being so helpless, and that anger at herself translated into anger at James.

This year, however, he was different. He was the Head Boy whilst she was the head Girl, and he was actually being quite nice to her. Add to that the lack of cruelty in his pranking, and his behavior was actually quite bewildering.

Pushing these thoughts out of her mind, Lily flipped this odd book over in her hands. A white-bearded wizard with a suspicious likeness to Dumbledore stood next to a small blurb:

_Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD! _

Well, that was odd. This Harry Potter must be Muggle-born, and the book would have to be Muggle to act as though being a wizard wasn't ordinary. The reviews for the book, written underneath the blurb, were also all from Muggle newspapers. But if that _were_ the case, then how did Harry Potter look so much like a wizard of the same last name? And how did a Muggle author know anything about the wizarding world? He or she had mentioned Hogwarts, and Quidditch! Or if they _were_ a wizard, which would explain a lot, then how did they release such a potentially dangerous book without the Ministry finding out? It would break the Statute of Secrecy!

Lily wondered how old this book was. If it had been published recently, wouldn't she have heard of it by now? If nothing else, her parents would have let her know if they'd seen a book about someone from their daughter's world… wouldn't they? But if it was old, then _surely _the Ministry would have heard about it by now. She decided to check the publication date.

She began flicking through the pages at the start of the book. _You'd think one title page would be enough, _she grumbled to herself. She felt a prickle of unease as she saw the picture on the title pages; Hogwarts' crest.

And there it was, a couple of pages in. The publication date was written clear as day, but Lily still couldn't believe her eyes. _First published in Great Britain in 1997. _

WHAT?! No. No, no, no. This wasn't possible… was it? Just how powerful _was _the Room of Requirement? But it was right. A book from the future was _much_ more interesting than a boring TV!

Heart pounding, Lily snatched up the next book in the stack; _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. _The cover featured an airborne blue car, inside which sat that boy who looked so much like James and another boy, this one with hair that, much like her own, was shockingly red. Between the two boys sat a regal-looking white owl with its wings spread. The back cover sported a picture of Hogwarts.

The next book was much the same; _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban _sported a Hippogriff, upon which sat this "Harry Potter" person and a scared-looking brunette girl. And on the back… was that a _Grim? _

The three books slid from Lily's shaking hands and fell to the floor with a _thunk_ that rang with finality. Lily pressed a trembling hand to her mouth. What was going _on?_

Before she could talk herself out of it, Lily scooped up the first book from the floor, hastily rifling to the first page. And again, she found herself shocked. Hell, the first four _words_ of the chapter nearly gave her a heart attack.

_Dursley?_ What were her sister and brother-in-law doing in a book that involved magic? They'd made it quite clear that they wanted nothing to do with Lily and her kind.

She snapped the book shut. There was something fishy going on here, and she wanted to find out what. No, she was _going _to find out what.

So before her common sense stopped her, before considering the consequences, hell… before even thinking about _anything… _she set off to find James.

* * *

She found the object of her search – and her affections – laughing boisterously by the fire with two of his three closest friends in the Gryffindor common room. Swallowing hard, she clutched the bright red book she was holding to her small chest and walked forward slowly. She wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing.

James' best friend, Sirius Black, saw her approaching first. "Ah, Evans," he announced jovially. "What brings you to this part of the common room?" Unlike James, Sirius did not seem to have outgrown the stage of calling her by her last name – or being an idiot in general.

Lily rolled her eyes. Remus Lupin, another one of James' closest friends, stifled a snort at her gesture with obvious difficulty. Of all James' friends, Remus was the only one other than the newly reformed James himself that Lily could tolerate. He had been her fellow Gryffindor Prefect in fifth and sixth year, and continued on as the seventh-year Prefect this year. Away from his friends, he was actually fairly good company, and unlike them, he could hold his own in intelligent conversation – this was more than she could say for Sirius and James' other friend, Peter Pettigrew.

Blatantly ignoring Sirius and acknowledging Remus with a polite nod, Lily turned to James. The mixture of attentiveness and curiosity that showed on his face made Lily's heart accelerate and her throat go dry. _Why_ did he have this effect over her? _Why? _Surely it wasn't fair… had she been horrible in a past life or something?

"James," she said, struggling to keep her voice even as she fought the urge to throw herself at him and kiss him madly. "Can I talk to you about something?" Her throat still felt impossibly dry; she swallowed discreetly in a futile attempt to moisten it.

James' brow creased. "Shoot." He looked to be at a loss for what she'd want to talk to him about, but smiled at her nevertheless. The hands that clutched onto that stupid little red book like a lifeline went clammy, and Lily swallowed again.

"Not _here_," she said exasperatedly. She hadn't intended to sound so patronizing; it was clearly not his fault that he didn't know that she wanted to talk to him in private. Nevertheless, her exasperation at herself for being so helpless shone through in her voice. She could have kicked herself, it was so ridiculous. "In… in private." It sounded sort of lame… and pathetic. Oh, well, it was too late to take back her words now.

"Is it about Head duties?" James seemed to have no idea what _she _would have to discuss with _him, _which was perfectly understandable. "I thought we'd sorted everything out at the Prefect meeting last night."

"We did," Lily said, sighing. "This isn't about Head duties." Her voice was strained, and she sounded stressed. She probably looked it too. "Look… can you just come with me for a second?"

James looked no less bewildered than he had five seconds ago; in fact, he was probably _more _bewildered. Despite that, he shrugged and rose to his feet. "Alright, then." He started walking in the direction of the portrait hole, but then stopped and swiveled around to look back at Sirius and Remus. "What about those guys? Can they come?"

Lily frowned. _Could _she tell them? They were James' best friends, after all, and no doubt he'd tell them anyway. It was friendships like that that made Lily ache for a best friend, or close friends; ones to which she could divulge anything and everything. As it was, the closest friend she had was Alice Nightingale – now Longbottom. She had graduated from Hogwarts the previous year, and was small but stocky and very blonde. She, too, didn't have any other close girlfriends, but that hardly mattered for a girl who knew who she was going to marry from the word go. Alice and Frank Longbottom – now a married couple – had been inseparable since first meeting on the Hogwarts Express as little firsties, and had married straight out of Hogwarts. Lily still kept up a fairly regular correspondence with the little blonde and her husband, but their letters were awkward and strained at best.

Marlene McKinnon was another friend of Lily's though she was probably more acquaintance than friend. The sixth-year Ravenclaw Prefect had close friends of her own, and the difference in both year and house made it rare for the two to see each other all that often. Associating with people from different houses was something that was heavily downtrodden upon by both the students _and_ most of the staff. Lily frowned upon this; not only was it completely without reason, but the lack of inter-house unity at Hogwarts was downright _dangerous_ now of all times, with Voldemort on the rise. Lily frowned again… hadn't Snape been her friend once? Her very best friend? But the Slytherins were estranged greatly by the rest of the student population, and this had resulted in Snape and Lily slowly drifting apart. The influence of some of Snape's housemates had eventually caused Snape to 'accidentally' call her a _Mudblood_. He'd apologized later, but that had cemented it for her. He wasn't the same boy she'd met seven years ago, the mostly sweet and somewhat shy boy who had first introduced Lily to the world of magic. She couldn't be friends with the new Severus Snape. He was too cruel, crueler even than James and his friends had been in the years before this one.

Lily was pulled abruptly from her funk of reminiscence by James' soft utterance of her name. She blinked, shook her head a few times to clear it and then James' face came back into view, his warm brown eyes gazing concernedly at her from behind those familiar, black-rimmed circular glasses. Her heart gave a huge sputter, and she cursed it vehemently in her head.

"Um…" she murmured. "Yeah, I guess so, just… can I show you something first?"

James' brow furrowed. "Uh, I guess so," he said. Turning back to his friends, he said, "I'll see you guys later." Then he turned back and continued walking in the direction of the portrait hole.

Lily half-skipped after him, lengthening her strides so as to keep up and not fall behind. James slowed down a bit once they exited the common room, and when they were out of earshot of any passersby, he pulled her into a little stone alcove. "Okay, what's up?" he asked, curiosity emanating through his deep baritone voice. _Even his _voice_ is sexy, _Lily thought to herself. _Huh? Where did _that _come from?_ In her mind, James was certainly quite beautiful, but she had never thought of him as _sexy_ before… though, in truth, it was surprising that she hadn't. He wasn't tall, exactly, though in comparison to Lily's own diminutive height, he was a giant. His shoulders were broad, his body defined and muscular – this baffled Lily, as she couldn't quite see how sitting on a broom and manoeuvering it around could develop many muscles. His warm brown eyes were mesmerizing behind those memorable round glasses – which, now she thought about it, were identical to those worn by that Harry Potter kid from the freaky future books. His hair was jet black and notoriously messy even when he wasn't indulging in his habit of running his fingers through it flirtatiously. His skin was still pale despite the fact that his near-constant exposure to sunlight should rightfully have rewarded him with a spectacular tan… the fact that Lily had always been attracted to dark-haired, fair-skinned men must merely have been coincidence… His features, like nose, mouth, ears, cheeks, etc., would have been unremarkable to other girls but were particularly good-looking to Lily… the reason for this had Lily stumped.

"Lily?" Again, James roused her from her funk by softly saying her name. She blinked. "Oh… um, there was something I wanted to show you somewhere else…" she muttered lamely. "C'mon. Follow me." He did so willingly as she turned abruptly and started to walk in the direction of the seventh-floor corridor. Several paces behind her, James trailed along, clearly perplexed but trusting her nevertheless.

Finally, Lily's wayward path led the unlikely coupling to that particular stretch of wall of which she was so fond. She crossed its path, back and forth, once; turning on her heel, she did so again, and then pivoted for the third crossing. All the while, she chanted the mantra _I need a room that has something in it to keep me entertained_ over and over within the recesses of her mind. A small brown door materialized in front of them, and Lily stepped forward to twist the doorknob. Swinging the door open, she stepped inside and then turned to beckon James in behind her.

James didn't seem to surprised; in fact, the only thing that gave him away was his quiet mutter, "How come _we_ hadn't found this yet?"

"Didn't you know this was here?" she asked, the smile present in her voice. She restrained the urge to giggle. _Well, well, well. The great James Potter and his friends haven't already discovered every nook and cranny in this castle after all. _

"Nope. But it's not as if it's _that _special. It's just a hidden room." He said this defensively, seeming embarrassed that Lily had heard the mutter intended solely for himself.

This time Lily really did laugh. _Oh, the poor, naïve soul, _she thought to herself. Out loud, she said, "Ah, but that's where you're wrong. The Room of Requirement is as far from ordinary as you can get. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it is… _extraordinary."_ Her voice sounded both imperious and mysterious – an effect which had been unintentional but was still highly appropriate. She grinned. "It'd be one of the Seven Wonders of Hogwarts."

The joke was, of course, lost on a pureblood wizard. "Really? Then what does it do?" he challenged.

"The Room of Requirement, as its name suggests, is a room which changes according to what you require. For example, if you were in dire need of a bathroom – " James snorted with laughter " – or you wanted a room filled with practice dummies and spellbooks if you wanted to practice dueling. There are also endless other uses…" she trailed off. James was staring at her as if she were some sort of deity, and while it was flattering, it also made her a little uneasy. She frowned and continued. "It has its limits, of course. So far I've been able to discern that it can't create food. And it can imitate people, but they wouldn't be the real thing, obviously."

James finally managed to find his voice. "How did you _find _it?" he gasped, nearly reverent.

"I was angry at something in fifth year, and I was pacing. It's a nervous habit of mine… and I found this place. To use it, you see, you have to pace in front of that wall out there three times over, all the while thinking of what kind of room you want. Coincidentally, I was pacing outside that particular stretch of wall. Funny, huh?" She hoped that would be a sufficient enough explanation, and that he wouldn't enquire about what it was that had made her angry. She didn't want that can of worms to be opened up again.

James nodded and, to Lily's relief, seemed to accept the explanation. "Hang on…" he said, and Lily's heart sank. _Please don't ask why I was angry… please don't ask why I was angry… please don't ask why I was angry…_ "If you found this place in fifth year, how come you're only showing it to me now?" Relieved, Lily opened her mouth to answer, but James hastily continued speaking. "I mean, I know we weren't friends back then, but you could have told me about it any time this year now that we _are _friends. And what had you so worked up? How come Sirius and Remus couldn't come see? How – " Lily cut across him before he could ask any more irrelevant questions.

"That wasn't what I was going to show you," she said quietly. Meanwhile, her mind – not to mention her heart – was racing.

_Friends. _James couldn't know how much that careless comment could mean to Lily. To finally be referred to as a _friend _by someone other than Alice or – Lily didn't let herself think the name of her former best friend again – it was an amazing feeling. And the fact that it was _James_ who had said it made the feeling all the more special.

"Lily?" For the third time in less than an hour, James had to call Lily out of a distracted reverie

"Oh! Sorry, I'm not really with it today, as you can probably see…" Her voice was highly strung and about an octave higher than usual. She hoped James wouldn't notice. "No, no, the Room wasn't what I was going to show you."

"What were you going to show me then?" Lily was surprised by his enduring patience. If she were in James' place right now, her fiery temper would have gotten the best of her long before this.

"This," Lily said, holding out the little red book. James gave her an odd look, as if to say, 'Why couldn't you have shown me this back in the alcove?', and took the book from her hands. His fingers brushed hers, sending an electric current through her at the contact.

"Hey!" James said. "Potter! That's _my_ last name!"

"No shit, Sherlock," Lily said, rolling her eyes. James gave her another odd look. _Oh, right. That's a Muggle expression. _

"And the kid looks like me too," James mused under his breath. "'Cept he's got green eyes. I like green eyes, they're pretty."

_He likes green eyes? _Lily thought. _I have green eyes! _She tried to ignore the thrill of pleasure that went through her when she realized that James might think her eyes were pretty. It was ridiculous – he'd been chasing after her, flirting frivolously with her everywhere she turned and experimenting with dodgy pick-up lines whenever he got the opportunity – he'd been doing all these things for _years _and she still felt delighted at him saying in a roundabout way that he liked her _eyes? _She shook her head. Did he have to _mock_ her like that? Although… this sneaky little comment about her eyes had seemed more genuine than anything else he'd said. And by the looks of it, he hadn't even intended for her to hear…

She glanced over at him. He was staring intently at the front cover of the book, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Read the blurb," she suggested.

James nodded absently, flipping the book over… "Hey! That looks like Dumbledore!" was his first reaction, upon his first glimpse of the back cover. He then proceeded to read the blurb. The furrow in his brow deepened, and he looked up at her. _"Huh?" _You could practically see the cogs turning in his brain as he worked through it the same way Lily had.

"Now look at the publication date," Lily said.

"Good idea," James muttered, flicking through the first few pages of the book. He read something, and his jaw dropped. Lily knew he'd saw it.

"Shit!" James gasped. "A book from the future?" Lily nodded.

"I was bored, so I asked the Room to provide me with something entertaining. This is what it came up with." Lily shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do. But can you see why I got you to come over here now?"

James nodded. "Yeah… coz that dude looks like me. And he has the same last name."

"Yeah," Lily said. "That's kind of freaky. You don't have any nephews named Harry, do you?"

"Nope," James said. "I'm an only child… so were both my parents." He frowned, then grinned. "Hey, he could be like my future son or something! I do like the name Harry."

_So do I,_ Lily thought. "Could be. But then why would the book act as though being a wizard wasn't ordinary. He'd have to have been raised like a Muggle in that case," she theorized.

"Yeah, I guess so," James said. "Way to burst my bubble!"

Lily bristled, but then realized he was only teasing. "Hey, you never know," she said. "The blurb did say he was 'rescued'. Maybe you went crazy and were Obliviated or something, and so you thought you were a Muggle and raised him accordingly. But you're crazy, so he's 'rescued' from you at age eleven, never to see you again." James laughed. "Or maybe he was kidnapped…"

"No way!" James said. "If my son was kidnapped I'd fight tooth and nail to get him back. The kidnapper wouldn't know what hit him. It must be the first one…" They both laughed together.

"Hey, I reckon we should read it," James said. "See if your theory is right or not."

Lily laughed. "Alright then," she said. "Let's sit down." She turned to the armchair and frowned.. "Stupid armchair," she grumbled. Frowning, she closed her eyes and willed the Room to widen the armchair. When she opened her eyes, a two-seater sofa sat in its place.

"Aw, shucks," James said. "There goes my plan to get you to sit on my lap."

"Hey!" Lily said, but this time she recognized it as teasing straight away. She flopped onto the sofa and patted the cushion beside her. James sat, narrowly missing squashing her hand. He didn't seem to notice.

"Okay," he said flipping through the pages to the first page of the story. "Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived. Should you read it out, or should I?"

"I'll read," Lily said. Taking the book from his hands, she held it so they could both see and cleared her throat. "Alright. Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived."

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. **At this, James snorted and muttered, "Normal is boring." Lily shook her head, giggled, and continued reading. **They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

James snorted again. "Like I said, boring."

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. **

"What are drills?" James asked.

Lily sighed. "Muggle devices. They use them instead of spells like Permanent Sticking Charms."

"Oh," James said. "I can't imagine that as a fun job."

"No, it wouldn't be," Lily agreed. "But from what we've seen, the Dursleys wouldn't exactly be concerned with anything being _fun_. They seem quite the opposite of _fun_ people.

"Boring!" James declared.

**He was a big beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache. Mrs Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbours. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere. **

"Nice descriptive language, Mr. Author," James laughed. Lily laughed too, but inside she squirmed with unease. This Mr. and Mrs. Dursley… her brother-in-law and sister were also Mr. and Mrs. Dursley and the descriptions of them featured in this book rang true with the real people so much that it was scary. Pushing this aside, Lily continued to read.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **Lily and James shared a look over the top of the book, but didn't say anything. **Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

Lily's gut twisted and squirmed with unease. She swallowed hard. The _real _Mrs. Dursley only had one sister… no. In denial, Lily pushed the thoughts from her head and continued to read.

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbours would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son too, but they had never seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

James scoffed. "Stupid bastards… insulting my son and my wife like that…" Lily stiffened at the word 'wife'… James' wife was Mrs. Dursley's sister… _No. Don't think about it._

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on that dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work **("See! Even the author agrees with me!") **and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair. **

"Nice kid," James muttered sarcastically.

**None of them noticed a large tawny owl flutter past the window. **

**At half-past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls. **("Nice kid," James said again). **'Little tyke,' chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. **

"Little tyke!" James gasped. "_Little tyke!_ The kid's a bloody weirdo!"

Lily giggled and waited for James' tirade about the 'stupid Dursleys' to finish, but her gut remained twisted uncomfortably. _Dursleys…_

As Lily continued to read, a prickle of unease raced constantly up and down her spine. James didn't notice, and continued to chortle jovially at various funny things in the book, like when Dumbledore said that Madam Pomfrey admired his earmuffs. Lily continued to worry but her denial stood strong, even as it was announced that Mrs. Dursley's first name was Petunia. But then…

'**What they're **_**saying,' **_**she pressed on, 'is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumour is that Lily and James Potter **– "

With a choked sob, the little, cursed red book slid from Lily's shaking hands and tumbled to the floor. She lurched to her feet and, without a second thought, bolted out the door of the Room of Requirement and out into the deserted corridor beyond.

**Ooh, dramatic! I hope you enjoyed it... and if you did (or even if you didn't and just want to scream at me via caps lock, which I hope you don't) then please review! Adios...**


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say this? Do I _look _like JKR? Oh, right, you don't know what I look like, you've never seen me... uh... Anyways, I don't own it, any of it. I don't really even own the _plot, _seeing as it's so cliched. I wish I did own it - I'd certainly like to be that rich, not to mention to have the glory of having written such a masterpiece... but we underlings don't compare. Time to accept it. **

**Author's Note: So, I'm not dead after all! I've updated! The plot bunnies were, quite annoying, absent from my head for quite a while, but finally returned last night. Unfortunately for Core of Power fans, they came bearing no news of that, which truly is my main priority... but when the plot bunnies have zipped their lips, their isn't much you can do. (And yes, that's just my retarded way of saying I've had writer's block. I'm weird. Get over it). Anyway, without further ado, on with the story!**

**Chapter One**

Sunset stained the sky with the shifting hues of fire as Lily stood upon the Astronomy Tower, willing the omnipresent storm clouds to release their heavy burden upon her. Rain, she mused, would reflect upon her mood perfectly.

It couldn't be true… it just _couldn't._ Lily closed her eyes against both the stinging wind and her oncoming headache, unable to wrap her head around the events of the past two to three hours. Not long ago, she had been an ordinary girl with a lingering, persistent crush; now, a bizarre future book proclaimed that she was to be the wife of this crush, that they would have a child…

That they would die. _Voldemort… _The war was already brewing; she'd heard the stories, seen the articles in the newspaper… known the kids withdrawn from Hogwarts and known _of_ the people whose brutal murder stories covered the pages of the Prophet… it was terrifying. She hadn't read the rest of the sentence – couldn't get past the "Lily and James Potter" part – but she knew how it would end. She and James wouldn't survive the encounter. It was that simple.

What _was _this crazy future book anyway? Could it all be just some cruel joke? This… this _book _knew how to get straight to her strongest desires and deepest fears… To be with James… To die just when your life was truly beginning, your loved ones' lives snuffed out along with yours… How? It couldn't be true; it couldn't be real. _No. _

No, it _couldn't _be true. James and she would never get _married, _for Merlin's sake. She knew he'd never marry _her. _It was, to her, quite plain; James was _James. _Courageous, charming, and bursting at the seams with talent, if his Quidditch prowess and alarmingly powerful spellwork were any indication… James had big things in store for him. And Lily was… well, just Lily. Just ordinary. Yeah, she was a straight-O student and a Gryffindor to the end, but other than that she was remarkably unremarkable. A hot temper and sharp tongue that was constantly running away with her and heaping up the trouble… this didn't exactly make for the most pleasant company. Add to that her appearance; the hair and eyes made it look like Christmas was coming with all that red and green, and she was small and scrawny and straight-up-and-down, the absence of curves making her look almost childlike.

So it couldn't be true, then. The book was just a work of fiction, taunting her, mocking her. She'd pretty much made up her mind on this when, for the fourth time in a few short hours, that distinctive baritone voice woke her from her reverie.

"Lily?" His voice was soft, cautious… almost _nervous. _She couldn't imagine what he could be _nervous _about, unless it was breaking the truth to her that the book couldn't really be true. But he didn't even know she liked him, so it wouldn't really be _breaking the truth_ to him, would it? He'd see it almost as _reassuring _her that it wasn't true.

She took a deep breath, composing herself, steeling herself for the heartbreak sure to come. "Yeah?" Her voice was small, pathetic, but at the very least it didn't crack.

"Um… hey." The book was clutched in his hands; his knuckles were white. Why would he be clutching the book so tightly if he weren't nervous? But he couldn't be nervous. There was no reason for him to be nervous.

"Uh… hi." Lily's heart was pounding, and she resisted the urge to squeeze her eyes shut and rub her temples. Her heart was wrenching; the feeling was more than a little distracting. She gritted her teeth, then loosened her jaw… she didn't want to betray her feelings with even the slightest movement. James didn't know how she felt… she wanted to keep it that way.

"I'm sorry!" he blurted, suddenly, jolting her out of her reverie but this time it wasn't gently. _Oh, Merlin. Oh, shit. He's _apologizing_. _There would only be one reason for him to be apologizing. _He knows. _Her heart sank like a stone, wrenching all the way. She'd never be able to look him in the eyes again…

She didn't say anything, preferring to simply stare at her feet, trying to keep her expression composed and failing miserably. Her face twisted, and she struggled to hold back the pricking in her eyes.

"I'm so, so sorry," he continued, voice the softest whisper. "It… it's like this book has taken away all your choices. But maybe it's not true… you can go now, if you want. Or I can. It doesn't have to be this way for you… and…"

_What? _Lily's head snapped up, and she stared at him, confusion shining in her tear-filled eyes. She voiced the thought out loud. "What?" He wasn't making any sense… any sense _whatsoever._ Well, except for the _maybe it's not true _part. She could see why he didn't want that, but everything else he'd said was complete gibberish.

"I mean… well, you've got your whole life ahead of you, and obviously you wouldn't want a _book _dictating what happens in it, you know, telling you you've got to be with a guy you don't like… I can deal with that."

Lily's head was spinning. What he was saying… it was beyond her comprehension. _"Huh?"_

The book slid from James' hands onto the ground, its soft _thunk _unnoticed by the both of them. "Let's just forget about it then. Pretend it never happened… you can go on with your life, you know? Be with whoever you want to be with." His expression was anguished. His voice died to a soft murmur, but Lily heard it as clearly as if he were shouting. "_I can deal with it. I can deal with it." _His soft murmur faded into oppressive silence.

Lily spoke numbly, not quite comprehending what she was saying. "You think… you think I want to forget about it…?" She trailed off, confusion colouring her voice.

"Well, yeah, of course," he said, somehow sounding both certain and uncertain simultaneously. "What else would you want to do?"

"_You_ don't want to forget about it?" Lily said, trying to hold back from the dawning comprehension. Her head throbbed.

James stared unbelievingly at her. "No…" he said slowly. "But you know that."

"Know what?" Lily challenged. She still didn't realize… _couldn't _realize…

James looked away, staring at the ground. "Do you have to make me say it? I've already said it a thousand times… okay, granted, not in the _nicest_ ways… but, still, you _must _know."

Lily didn't even try to speak. She thought she might well be incapable of that right now.

James wasn't looking at her… he was suddenly very fixated on the spectacular sunset behind her. "Lily, I like you. A lot. I have pretty much since I first saw you and haven't really looked at another girl since then…"

Lily's jaw dropped. Her head spun. Her first instinct was to think of it as a cruel joke, but something in the sincerity of James' voice stopped her. She found herself unable to say a word.

"Oh shit… sorry. I didn't mean to, er, creep you out."

The silence was deafening. Lily and James both studiously avoided looking at each other, staring instead at the dawning twilight, until Lily finally chanced a glance at James. His jaw was set, his eyes closed, his expression one of regretful resolve… she was still in shock. She _knew _what he said was genuine… but it was still beyond the realm of what she could accept. She had spent the past six, almost seven, years training herself for eventual, inevitable disappointment… that was all gone now. She didn't know what to think.

And then he spoke again. "Why are you so surprised? You _must _have known… I was always really obvious…" He looked sort of confused, but still resigned, as he waited for her answer.

Lily licked her lips, her mouth dry as sandpaper. _This is it. _She had kept her secret… the secret of her feelings for him… for so long now, and divulging it now was sort of draining.

Eager to prolong the big reveal of her feelings, still too uncertain despite James' conviction, still not allowing the flicker of hope deep within her to flare, she decided to first answer his question. "I… I always kind of thought you were mocking me," she said finally.

"Huh?" It was James' turn to look perplexed.

She took a deep breath. _This is it. _

"I… James, I've liked you for a long time… I just… I always assumed that you chasing me was an inadvertent form of mocking me or something…" Her voice was nearly inaudible, shaky and wavering… _Where the _hell _has my Gryffindor courage gone?_

James closed his eyes then. Quite simply, he looked disbelieving, kind of detached. She was sure this was how _she _had looked a moment ago.

Gathering up the vestiges of her Gryffindor courage, and relieved that it hadn't completely deserted her now, she doggedly pushed on. As much as it hurt to explain it all, she knew she had to.

"I… it pretty much started in first year. I was _always _attracted to you, but for the first few years… I felt guilty over it…" This hurt to explain. She didn't want to dredge up harsh memories, but she owed James an explanation, and so she continued, resisting the urge to grit her teeth. "I… back then, I was friends with… well, you know who I'm talking about. And he _hated _you… so I hated _myself,_ then, for being so helpless. But then, in fifth year…" she bit back the bitter laugh bubbling at her lips, and said, "that was how I found the Room, you know. That was what I was angry about, when I was pacing." She stopped herself from the temptation of going off on a tangent, and continued with what she was supposed to be saying. "And then I still hated myself for liking you, but it wasn't because _he _hated you anymore. _He _didn't affect me anymore. But I still found myself helpless, because of… well, because for I while there I thought you knew, and that you were mocking me."

She swallowed, taking a breath, steeling herself. "But then, this year, it all changed. _You _changed. And I found I had no reason not to like you, anymore. So the feelings deepened.

"But, of course, I still found a reason to regret liking you. You'd stopped chasing me, but you didn't act as though you knew I liked you, so I convinced myself what you used to do was still mocking me, but… I dunno, inadvertent or something. It didn't really make sense…" she trailed off. James had opened his eyes again, and his mouth, and was about to speak.

"No, you're right, it doesn't…" he said. "I can understand why you used to feel… bad for liking me…" his eyes widened as he said, this, and he looked sort of incredulous… she knew how that felt. But something in the sincerity of her voice must have opened his eyes the way that had done for her with him. He kept talking, rushing on. "But I still don't understand how you were so damn _oblivious…"_ He looked baffled.

Lily stared at the floor. "It still made more sense than you liking me did," she muttered.

James' confusion deepened, the little furrow between his brows that she loved – _loved? _– deepening with it. "Huh?" he said, again. "What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Come on, James. Why do _you _like _me?" _

James frowned at her, still not seeing where she was going. "Why _wouldn't _I?" he asked. "I mean, Lily, you're – you're _you._ You're beautiful, you're smart, you're brave, you're strong… you have such _spirit_," he said, before stopping suddenly. To Lily's astonishment, he was _blushing. _

Lily stared at him. "Okay, I always thought you must have hit your head as a baby, but that proves it," she said adamantly.

James stared at her. "Huh?" he said. "No offence, Lily, but I have _no clue _what you're talking about. You're making no sense."

Lily glared at him. "Oh, make me say it, why don't you?" she snapped, but then stopped. "See, there's proof of the first part. _Strong – _yeah, right. I have a crazy temper… not many people would construe that as _strong._

"And then there's the _brave _part. Yeah, I guess I was brave enough to be sorted into Gryffindor, but I'm not really _that _brave. Not like you." She flushed as she said this, and glanced away.

James sighed. He had that _look _on his face, the look he got in classes or in Quidditch when the score was close and he had the Quaffle. That look of brazen determination. "Lily…" he said. "Why do you think you were named Head Girl?"

Lily looked quizzically at him. What was he getting at? "Uh, I don't know," she said. "Maybe because I'm a straight-O student?"

James sighed exasperatedly. "Then answer me this: why didn't Dumbledore just pick a random Ravenclaw girl to be Head? They're all straight-O students too."

Lily frowned. Yeah, that was true… she'd never really thought about why Dumbledore had picked her as Head. James had been obvious to her, once she'd seen how he'd changed. He had fantastic leadership skills and anyone who wasn't a Slytherin accepted his authority. But she'd never really questioned her own appointment to the role… she'd just simply accepted her duties and fulfilled them accordingly.

Seeing her reaction, James continued, excited to see she was considering it. "people look up to you, Lily," he said. "I don't know how you can't see it. You're strong and smart and independent, someone that people always respect. In fact, some of the _Slytherins _even respect you as a leader."

Lily's mouth popped open. "No way," she said. "No _Slytherin _would ever listen to me. I'm a Muggleborn." She said this quite matter-of-factly; she knew it to be true.

James shook his head. "And, yeah, a lot of the Slytherins look to both of us with derision; you for being a Muggleborn, me for being a supposed 'blood traitor'. But, as much as it pains me to admit – " he smiled to show it was a joke, and Lily smiled tentatively back " – not every Slytherin spouts all that vitriol. Yeah, it's about one percent, but that one percent still don't like me because of what I used to be like…" he paused, then, gathering himself, and continued. "But, as much as it pains me to admit it - " this time he gave no indication of it being a joke " – and as much as it pains _you _to remember… you were friends with a Slytherin once. You don't put stock in prejudice against them, which a very small amount of them notice and appreciate. So you're contributing to the whole house unity thing, which Dumbledore holds in high regard, so you were an obvious choice for him."

Lily blinked. What he said _did _make sense… at least, the part about house unity made sense. And she was really quite touched that he'd read into the situation so much. It really was quite flattering. But still… "That still doesn't explain your attraction to me…" She just didn't get it.

James groaned. "How do I make you see?" he said softly. "Lily… you're beautiful. Inside and out. I truly _can't _see how you don't see it."

Lily stared incredulously at him. "You need your glasses checked. I think the prescription is all wrong for you," she said, baffled at how he could see her as _beautiful. _"I look like an eleven-year-old who's an advocate for Christmas!"

James' jaw dropped. "My glasses are perfectly fine! _You're _the one who needs them!" He shook his head disbelievingly. "Lily… your hair is like fire, except soft and lustrous. Your eyes… they are enchanting, captivating…" he closed his eyes and swallowed. Lily's mouth went dry. "Yeah, they're red and green, but that doesn't mean people think of Christmas when they look at you." He paused then, frowning, and said, "I don't know how to say this without seeming like a stupid hormonal teenager, but I'll try to be as tactful as possible. Not every guy cares if a girl has, oh, I don't know, D-cup breasts or whatever. I personally _like _the petite look. And trust me, Lily, just because you're not – you know – uh, gigantic… doesn't mean you look like a first-year either." He smiled ruefully. "I hope I didn't sound too rude saying that…"

Lily's head was spinning. She still stood by the he-needs-new-glasses theory, but the sentiment was nice… she felt like she was floating on air, just taking into consideration the notion that he night think she was beautiful… before she could stop it, the tiny spark of hope festering within her flared up, almost consuming her. She wetted her lips, staring at him, trying to call up the power of speech, and eventually succeeding long enough to say, "Thanks, James," in a quiet, tremulous voice.

James smiled softly at her. "Anytime," he answered, smiling gently at her.

She moved as if waking from a dream, stepping slowly toward him, savouring the moment of sweet anticipation. His hand moved to cup her face, gently, when she moved within arm's reach of him. Lily closed her eyes, reveling in his tender touch as it sent as feeling not unlike raging wildfire through her, jolting her senses. This… it couldn't be true, but it was too vivid to be a dream… how could it be? Could she _really _be getting her happy ending?

And that thought jolted her out of sweet bliss. Her eyes flew open, meeting James', tears threatening to spill over, as the perfect moment was shattered.

"What is it?" James asked, concerned, caring. She took a deep, shaky breath.

"Do you remember what the book was _saying _when it said 'Lily and James Potter?'" she queried.

James frowned, trying to remember. Lily drank in the sight of him. His hand still lingered on her cheek.

And then his eyes widened, and realization dawned. "Oh, no," he said. "Oh, Merlin…"

They stared at one another, horrified, until James broke the silence once more. "What about Harry?"

Lily stared at him, and as she did, she realized the same thing that must have occurred to him. "The book is about him, about his Hogwarts schooling… so that must mean he doesn't die…"

James nodded. "Come on," he said. "Let's go back to the… the Room of Requirement, did you call it?"

Lily nodded too, agreeing immediately. "We've _got _to read this book."

* * *

The walk back to the Room of Requirement was filled with a companionable silence – Lily and James had both revealed so much to one another

that words, at that moment, did not seem necessary. The only sound was their quiet, albeit rushed, footsteps echoing in Hogwarts' empty halls. They didn't want to waste any time – both were eager to see the contents of that strange, strange book.

The dark, silent corridors were deserted – it was past curfew now. No doubt James' friends were wondering where he was, waiting up for him in the seventh year boys' dorm, but Lily couldn't find it in herself to care. At that moment, she held James' undivided attention; that thought sparkled as it entered her head, and she allowed herself to be immersed in it. She was still stunned by the discovery she had made that night, but now found herself quite at a loss what to do.

She'd never been here before; there had never really been anyone else she was romantically interested in, and since she'd been so focused on trying not to like James for the past… well, however many units of time, she'd never really been _together _with anyone. It simply hadn't been a priority to her. It was another one of the many reasons she hadn't related to other girls, hadn't really _clicked _with anyone, because girls were sort of gossipy creatures by nature. The only friend she had met who didn't seem to be bothered by Lily's reluctance to _involve _herself with anyone had been Alice… but Alice had Frank, so Lily had always felt like she hadn't understood, even if she'd tried to. And _he _had always been a little shifty about the relationship thing… she tried not to let herself think the name.

But now, Lily was painfully aware of her inexperience. James' hand swung beside his hip, and the temptation she had to slip her own hand into his was almost overwhelming, but she had no idea how to go about it. So she and James walked on ahead, close together but not quite touching, until they reached the seventh floor corridor. James stood still while Lily paced, focusing on that little room with the other six books upon the table, and that two-seater sofa resting beside the table. She would have liked to envision a single armchair, but although she now knew that her feelings were requited, she wasn't really sure what James' reaction would be. Just because she was brave in trying situations, didn't mean that courage translated to occurrences like this.

James stepped forward and reached that little brown door before she could, swinging it forward and holding it open for Lily. Lily ducked her head as she slipped into the Room before him, her fiery hair sliding forward to hide her similarly-coloured cheeks.

Settling down side-by-side on the armchair, once again close but not quite touching, Lily announced, "I'll read. Pass me the book." James obliged, and so shaky hands flipped through the pages to page number 14. Lily cleared her throat and began to read.

**"The rumour is that Lily and James Potter are – are – that they're _dead."_**

That was it, then. Trembling, Lily placed the opened book onto her lap, bringing her hands to her temples and rubbing in a circular motion. A lump worked its way up her throat to press against her tongue, and she swallowed, not really trying to expel it but still wishing it wouldn't impair her breathing so. But maybe the fact she couldn't breathe was a separate thing entirely; she didn't know nor care. Her eyes pricked, but she'd shed enough tears today, so she closed them before any could fall.

And then she felt James' arm slide around her, sending thrills of pleasure through her, that raging wildfire threatening to consume her. James didn't say anything, just scooped the book from her lap and flipped it open. Holding it one-handed, he began to read, his deep, irresistible baritone filling the room. Relieved, Lily sank into his embrace, keeping her eyes closed, allowing him to take the burden of reading away from her. She knew that reading it herself would be too draining for her to accomplish – James seemed to have known this too. It made her feel… well, she didn't _know_ how it made her feel. It was certainly not an unwelcome feeling, though.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped. **

**"Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…" **

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily. **

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But – he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy."**

Lily couldn't hold back the tears this time… but this time, the pricking in her eyes was not caused from sorrow, but from relief. She felt that relief so much more strongly, and so the tears streamed freely down her face.

"Oh, thank Merlin…" James breathed. "He's alive." Lily turned her head in the crook of his arm, and their eyes met. Smiling, James continued reading, and as he did so, Lily continued to stare at him, drinking in his face. It was strange… even knowing that they would die, what… precious years from now? Even in knowing that, Lily could still feel those cliché feelings spoken about in romance novels, that blissful, floating-on-air feeling.

If they had only these precious years ahead of them… well then, those years would have to be savoured.

**"No one know why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke – and that's why he's gone."**

Stunned, James' eyes dropped from the book. _"Shit…" _he whispered.

Lily half-smiled. "My sentiments exactly. _How…?" _

Jams shrugged, beaming at her. "A miracle child?" he suggested.

Lily laughed softly. "Maybe… keep reading."

James continued without interruption for the next paragraph, until…

"No!" Lily cried. "Harry is _not _going to live with my sister! She _hates _magic – Merlin only knows _what _she'll do to Harry."

James nodded. "I agree… I don't know them, but the book has been clear enough on that. Who will he live with, then?"

"Do you have any siblings?" Lily asked.

James shook his head, the little furrow appearing between his brows again.

Lily paused, contemplating, both of them rebelling against the idea of having to find their son another place to live in the first place… and also reveling in the being able to think 'our son'. It was a strange concept for the two, who had been quite convinced that their feelings were unrequited only a few short hours ago.

James broke the silence tentatively, saying, "I don't have siblings… not _blood _ones…" Lily glanced at him, not getting what he meant, when the realization suddenly dawned.

"Oh," she said quietly. The ache of loneliness threatened to start up again, but it didn't last long when she was – still – snuggled into James' side.

James laughed quietly. "I know you're not _overly _fond of them, but… well, they're the closest thing we've got. And Sirius may seem a little immature sometimes, but once I have a kid, I know he'll love it like his own." His convinction of was enough for Lily, and so she acquiesced with a nod and a "Keep reading." James obliged. He read without interruption but for a few frowns and tutting noises from the pair. The furrow in James' brow was becoming a permanent fixture. Then…

**"Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorbike as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

James' frown and brow furrow deepened. "Sirius wouldn't have stood for this," he muttered. "He would've come over here and begged to take Harry himself, even if it meant leaving the wizarding world for ten years. I _know _he would've." He shook his head and kept reading.

Lily glared at the book with gritted teeth, and James read with an undertone of anger to his voice, as Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall, along with Hagrid, left Harry at the Dursleys'. It wasn't something either of them could reconcile with. When Hagrid said, 'I'll be taking Sirius his bike back,' James shook his head and said, "Not a chance. Sirius wouldn't let this happen."

He kept reading, right to the last line of the chapter, before he closed the book and set it down on the armrest. "It's late," he whispered, "and we've got classes tomorrow…"

Lily glanced up at him, surprised. "Since when has _James Potter, _serial rule-breaker and rogue prankster, held any stock with the time of classes?"

Again shocking her, James blushed for the second time that day. "Well for a start, he now has the responsibility of Head Boy to uphold," he said. "And…"

"And?" Lily pressed.

"And… and he now has a lady with whom he would like to stay in the good books of," he said, grinning roguishly and speaking in mock pretention to hide the fact that what he said was clearly true. Lily found herself blushing in response and grinning madly.

"Oh?" she said. "Well, well, well…"

James grinned at her, and she grinned back. "Well, at present I honestly couldn't care less if we skipped class…"

James blinked, and said mockingly, "Since when has _Lily Evans, _advocate of the rules, pronounced that she couldn't care less about _skipping class?" _

Lily giggled. "Since the discovery of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," she said. "I want to grab it right now and devour it with my eyes."

James laughed at her. "Nice metaphor," he said. Then he paused and, looking at Lily uncertainly, he said, "What do I tell my friends?"

Lily took a deep breath. If she was to be perfectly honest, she was kind of enjoying the prospect of this being she and James' little secret. But they were his friends, and so it was ultimately his decision. She told him as much.

"Um… well, how about we just read this privately for a little while?" he asked uncertainly.

Lily shrugged. "If that's what you want," she said.

James nodded, seeming to mull this over, before he blurted, "I kind of like it, that this is our secret," he said. "I want to tell them soon, but a few days won't hurt."

Lily nodded. She supposed she'd expected as much… she'd just have to enjoy the next couple of days as much as possible, before the rest of the Marauders joined them. But she supposed it wouldn't be too bad… she'd have to get used to them, if things between her and James continued the way they were going.

James stood up, unfurling his body and stretching. The absence of his arm around Lily's shoulders made her feel strangely empty. But when he extended his hand to her to help her up and didn't release that hand once she was standing, the warm feeling returned.

It was something she could get used to, that feeling. And it was then that she realized it… that whatever happened, in this book and in the future… she and James would face it together.

**Author's Note: So. That was probably the hardest chapter I've written thus far - for both this and Core of Power - simply because of my relative inexperience with the whole romance thing. I apologise if it seemed dreadfully naive... feel free to let me know if it did. The plot bunnies and the story were conspiring against me, they wouldn't let me write the chapter without all of _that... _okay, okay... _I _didn't know what else to do with it, so to me it was a one-option thing. I'd really appreciate a review for this chapter in particular, simply to see some feedback on how I did in uncharted (for me) territory. Or flame me if you want, if you though it was dreadful... Anyways, adios!**


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